Stolen dog recovered unharmed

On 17 August 2021, Lolita Muller from Rocklands Mitchells Plain had to take the heart-breaking decision to surrender her two dogs – Ben, a magnificent Long Haired German Shepherd and Cardi, a docile Pitbull Cross. Lolita had fallen upon hard times and had to move to an area where she feared for their safety.

Both dogs were in great condition and very well behaved so it wasn’t long before both were adopted. Ben was adopted by a couple from Grassy Park in September 2021. On Saturday, 15 January 2022 Ben went missing from their home.

Initially it was thought that someone may have accidently left the gate open and that Ben had wandered off, but it soon became apparent that he had been stolen. The family immediately took to social media and as soon as we became aware of Ben’s disappearance we too posted an alert on Facebook and several WhatsApp Groups.

Messages poured in and it was soon confirmed that Ben was in Ocean View. The first report of his whereabouts took the form of an opportunistic ransom demand from an alleged Ocean View gangster who demanded R250 in exchange for information leading to Ben’s return.

This report was soon followed by a call from a lady, also from Ocean View, who claimed to have Ben. She alleged that whilst enroute to visit family in Grassy Park she noticed a suspicious looking person walking a somewhat regal looking, but reluctant Ben, so she decided to stop and ask him for the dog – which he reportedly willingly handed over to her.

As soon as we were alerted to the possible whereabouts of Ben, his imminent return, and the alleged extortionist’s claim, we contacted the police and made arrangements for them to accompany us to the Grassy Park residence to await his return.

On Monday, 17 January 2022 (roughly 48 hours after his disappearance) the 'stranger' from Ocean View returned Ben unharmed.

In the meantime, a very worried Lolita got wind of the unfolding drama and contacted us wanting to know that if we were successful in recovering Ben she could adopt him.

After considering the merits of Lolita’s claim as well as the many aggravating circumstances surrounding Ben’s baffling disappearance and equally perplexing return we decided to reunite these two soulmates.